Provost Forum

Testing the University: Speech, Freedom, and Civility on College CampusesProvost Forum on Inquiry, Expression, and Community in the University

Principles of academic freedom and free speech are central to a university’s identity, but they are not simple. Duke University’s Mission Statement reaffirms its foundational commitment to promoting “an intellectual environment built on a commitment to free and open inquiry,” which encompasses academic freedom, free speech, and freedom of assembly. But the range and application of those principles raise hard questions.

The purpose of the Provost’s Forum is to explore these issues in a deeper and more constructive way, through sessions exploring topics such as “Academic Freedom and the Mission of the University,” “Civil Discourse Across Divides,” and “Assembly, Protest, and Shared Spaces.”

Those interested in a more thorough treatment of these issues may wish to consult Free Speech on Campus (Erwin Chemerinsky & Howard Gillman, Yale Univ. Press 2017). Dean Chemerinsky will be speaking on the first panel of the event on March 1st.